Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Mississippi (2025 BLS Data)
- The median wage for all jobs in Mississippi was $40,120 in May 2025, below the U.S. median of $50,980.
- The best-paid job here that typically needs only a high school diploma or less was transportation, storage, and distribution managers, at a median of $85,770.
- Short training programs and associate’s degrees open another tier, led by aircraft mechanics and service technicians at $74,880.
You don’t need a four-year degree to earn well in Mississippi. Using the federal government’s most recent occupational wage survey (BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Mississippi) and the education level BLS lists as typical for entry into each job (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35), here are the best-paying jobs in the state that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Mississippi had about 1,163,030 wage and salary jobs in the survey.
Top-paying jobs that need a high school diploma or less
Jobs with at least 1,000 positions in the state, ranked by median annual wage. The last column shows the national median for comparison.
Many of these jobs pay well because they come with long on-the-job training, licensing, physical risk or irregular hours. Several are skilled trades that train through paid apprenticeships.
Top-paying jobs that need a certificate or associate’s degree
Jobs where BLS lists a postsecondary certificate, some college or an associate’s degree as the typical entry credential:
| Occupation | Mississippi median | Jobs | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $74,880 | 1,360 | $79,870 |
| Dental Hygienists | $67,280 | 1,140 | $98,100 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $63,410 | 1,240 | $76,220 |
| Respiratory Therapists | $63,270 | 1,670 | $82,280 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | $61,770 | 1,150 | $68,380 |
| Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers | $61,250 | 1,500 | $63,890 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $59,300 | 2,510 | $80,110 |
| Paramedics | $54,630 | 1,150 | $60,600 |
The most common jobs in Mississippi, for context
The largest occupations by employment, and what they pay locally:
| Occupation | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | $28,640 | 38,400 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $22,610 | 31,220 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $36,400 | 30,750 |
| Cashiers | $26,390 | 30,490 |
| Registered Nurses | $77,090 | 29,060 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $51,820 | 24,160 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $34,270 | 23,420 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $23,860 | 21,800 |
How to use these numbers
- Medians are midpoints. Half of workers in each job earn more and half earn less; new workers usually start well below the median.
- Overtime is not included. BLS wage estimates exclude overtime pay and shift differentials, so jobs with heavy overtime often pay more in practice (see the OEWS technical notes).
- Check the training path. “Typical entry education” is what most new workers have; licenses and apprenticeships may still be required.
Published October 28, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point from the same survey: the occupation most concentrated in Mississippi relative to the nation is upholsterers, with a location quotient of 16.01. That means those jobs make up about 16.01 times as large a share of local employment as they do nationally. There are about 2,410 of them locally, at a median of $44,930. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Mississippi. Location quotients compare each job’s share of local employment with its share nationally (see BLS OEWS overview).
— JobPayRaise Data Desk